Thursday, December 28, 2006

It's been a long time since I've blogged here. I thank Always on Watch for keeping the Northern Virginiastan blog current.

I've embarked on a graduate program in addition to my regular 9-to-5 job, so I have little time to blog. I'm using this opportunity to wish our friends and supporters a Happy, Peaceful, and Prosperous New Year 2007! Be glad that we're not counting years from the Hijrah!

Improve Your Life in 2007

The cover story on U.S. News and World Report's December 25, 2006 issue is "50 Ways to Improve Your Life in 2007." Under "Community," one of the things that you can do is to "Learn About Islam" (!) Recommended sources include Karen Armstrong, the ex-nun who'd had us all donning sackcloth and ashes to atone for our prejudice against Islam (and in case you don't recognize it, I'm being sarcastic). It's a bit surprising, given Editor-in-Chief Mort Zukerman's strong stance against Islamic terrorism.

Here are my suggestions to learn about Islam and teach others:

Donate books on Islam to libraries - we have sample titles listed in our library, at right. I am particularly partial to Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch as a trustworthy source. Donate to school and church libraries as well as public libraries.

Give books on Islam to family and friends. If you've brought up Islam and terrorism in conversation, this is an appropriate way to follow up. Etiquette, however, suggests that it wouldn't be appropriate to present these books as gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, or other such festive occasions.

Send books on Islam to public officials and decision makers. I believe that it was Pedestrian Infidel who noted that $60 to put books into the hands of your U.S. Senators and representative is a small, but worthwhile, investment.

Many elected officials have staff that track media for briefings. Identify blogs with a high number of visitors such as Little Green Footballs or Michelle Malkin. Don't hesitate to recommend Northern Virginiastan to our representatives in Virginia and Maryland so that they can get a pulse on what their constituents are thinking. And I'm still looking forward to the day that the WaPo notes Northern Virginiastan :-)

I oppose banning books (or defacing property), but I support truth-in-labeling. Always on Watch has noted books supplied by CAIR's "Library Project" to the Fairfax County Public Library system - prepare information about CAIR's links to terrorism to insert into these books. Identify sources of information other than CAIR.

Provide links to anti-Islamic sites in your E-mail signature.

Give books on Islam to your minister or rabbi. Mainline Protestant denominations, in particular, have been notorious in their support of Muslim causes.

Please add to this list with additional ways to learn about Islam and to teach others.

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Speaking in Dearborn, Mich., late Sunday night, the first Muslim elected to Congress told a cheering crowd of Muslims they should remain steadfast in their faith and push for justice.

"You can't back down, you can't chicken out, you can't be afraid, you got to have faith in Allah, and you got to stand up and be a real Muslim," Detroit native Keith Ellison said to loud applause.

"Allahu akbar" — God is great — was the reply of many in the crowd....

Ellison said in Dearborn that Muslims can help teach America about justice and equal protection, suggesting that Muslim activists may be part of God's plan. He spoke at the annual convention of two Muslim groups, the Muslim American Society and the Islamic Circle of North America....

Those who found fault with policital activism from evangelical Christians, who often mention "God's plan," remain noticeably silent when it comes to criticizing Ellison's remarks.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Just in time for the Hajj, which begins on December 29, CAIR, now the legal representative of five of the six praying imams and pursuing an out-of-court settlement, is stirring the pot:

American Muslims making a religious pilgrimage to Mecca are being encouraged to file civil rights complaints if they feel discriminated against by airlines.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), citing what it called the "airport profiling" of six imams removed from a recent flight, yesterday said Muslims traveling this month to the holy site in Saudi Arabia need to be aware of their rights.

"Given the increase in the number of complaints CAIR has received alleging airport profiling of American Muslims, we believe it is important that all those taking part in this year's hajj be aware of their legal and civil rights," said Ibrahim Hooper, CAIR spokesman.

Apparently CAIR has distributed materials specifically delineating how to promote this flying-while-Muslim agenda:

A guide issued by CAIR advises Muslims that "as an airline passenger, you are entitled to courteous, respectful and non-stigmatizing treatment by airline and security personnel."

"You have the right to complain about treatment that you believe is discriminatory," the guide says.

Those treated in a discriminatory manner are advised by CAIR to "ask for the names and ID numbers of all persons involved in the incident. Be sure to write this information down."

On December 9, the Maryland and Virginia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MD/VA), in cooperation with the D.C. Coordinating Council of Muslim Organizations (DC-CCMO) and the Fairfax Institute, will hold its first annual Imams' media relations conference in Herndon, Va.

The one-day conference is designed to teach Imams, community leaders and activists how to interact effectively with media professionals. Sessions will cover basic media relations skills.

"Basic media relations skills"? And something else, too, including the distribution of materials as to how to intimidate the airlines from following proper security-procedures? According to one airline official,

"You do wonder what the ultimate aim is here [with regard to the six praying imams and CAIR's involvement]; to eliminate a discriminatory practice that does not exist, or is there some other agenda afoot."

The above-cited article in the Washington Times also contains the following with regard to CAIR's possible agenda:

Pilots and air marshals called the incident a "PC probe" to intimidate passengers and crew from reporting suspicious behavior by Muslim passengers and are fearful the incident will set off a domino effect of lawsuits.

Debra Burlingame, whose brother was the pilot of American Airlines Flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, thinks this is a ploy to extort money from the airlines.

"I think CAIR is soliciting complaints, and if they don't get it, they will make it up," said Miss Burlingame, who is also a director for the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation.

Although CAIR likes to promote itself as representative of all or of the majority of American Muslims, such is not the case:

M. Zuhdi Jasser, a Phoenix physician and chairman of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD), said the announcement by CAIR "continues the tired stoking of the flames of victimization."

"They are unfortunately exploiting, for purely political reasons, what should be a sacred and purely spiritual story of our faith's annual holy pilgrimage to Mecca," Dr. Jasser said.

"We need new leadership and organizations which use their passions and the bandwidth of the media to lead the ideological fight against radical and political Islam rather than this tired pre-emption of supposed discrimination."

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

(LOS ANGELES, 12/04/2006) - A prominent national education and action group today called for the support of a presidential appointee to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council after accusations of intolerance by a radical Islamist organization.

The United American Committee (UAC) urged that talk show host and columnist Dennis Prager be supported by all Americans for his recent appointment to the museum's council.

Controversy arose when the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), viewed as a radical Islamic organization by many, objected to a recent syndicated column by Prager in which he wrote that Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, should be prevented from taking his oath of office using the Koran.

"This goes beyond politics, regardless of one's political views and opinions of Dennis Prager we must support him as he endures a relentless smear campaign by this radical Islamist group. We must make a stand for freedom of speech in the face of the Islamists who would attempt to destroy our freedoms and who try to silence those who oppose them.” remarks UAC Chairman Jesse Petrilla.

In a letter to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council Chairman Fred S. Zeidman, the United American Committee wrote:

"We support Mr. Prager for courageously standing up to the threat of radical Islam that America is facing today. We can not allow radical groups to work to silence American journalists and commentators, and must continue to uphold the 1st Amendment and protect the freedoms that this nation holds dear. We thank you for having him on your council."

The United American Committee is a leading educational group dedicated to awakening the nation to the threats of radical Islam and works to educate Americans on the nature of Islamic extremism. Its mission is to fight the ideological aspects of the War on Terror to counter elements of radical Islam in America.